The invention is based on the problem of providing an induction heating device of the kind mentioned in the introductory part and also a corresponding induction hob with which induction heating device and induction hob problems of the prior art can be solved and it is possible, in particular, to simplify, and at the same time configure in as reliable a manner as possible, a design of an induction heating device and also the assembly of the induction heating device and assembly of an induction hob.
This problem is solved by an induction heating device and also by an induction hob. Advantageous and preferred refinements of the invention are the subject matter of the further claims and will be explained in greater detail in the text which follows. In the process, some of the features will be described only for the induction heating device or only for the induction hob. However, irrespective of this, they are intended to be independently applicable both to the induction heating device and also to the induction hob. The wording of the claims is included in the description by express reference.
It is provided that the induction heating device has a coil carrier of flat design or a flat and/or planar coil carrier for at least one induction heating coil. In this case, the coil carrier can substantially be a planar plate, under certain circumstances with an edge which is drawn upwards and/or downwards and reinforcement ribs and also possibly recesses. The plug-type contact device is arranged on the bottom face of the coil carrier, the plug-type contact device having an insertion direction downwards or away from the surface of the coil carrier. The insertion direction is advantageously substantially perpendicular to the surface of the coil carrier. The plug-type contact device has a plug housing which is held or mounted on the bottom face of the coil carrier in such a way that the plug housing can move or has an ability to move in a plane parallel to the surface of the coil carrier. This ability to move is restricted or has a defined and limited or maximum movement travel. This movement travel can lie between 1 mm and 10 mm or even 15 mm, advantageously between 1 mm and 5 mm. In the insertion direction however, the plug-type contact device bears against the coil carrier and does not exhibit any movement travel. This results in a kind of floating mounting of the plug-type contact device or of the plug housing on the coil carrier. Owing to the ability of the plug housing to move substantially perpendicularly to the insertion direction, the plug housing can be matched to the position of the mating plug to a certain degree independently of the position of the coil carrier, so that tolerances can be easily compensated for independently of a necessary change in position of the coil carrier. This simplifies production of an electrical connection or a plug-type connection with the plug-type contact device.
Furthermore, the plug housing has at least two receiving chambers with a direction or a longitudinal direction parallel to the insertion direction, that is to say once again substantially perpendicular to the surface of the coil carrier. The receiving chambers are open at the bottom and a plug-type contact, which is preferably elongate or has a longitudinal extent, is arranged in each of the receiving chambers. This longitudinal extent should once again be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the receiving chambers and therefore to the insertion direction, so that the plug-type contacts are substantially perpendicular to the surface of the coil carrier. Finally, a contact-making line is further provided, the contact-making line preferably running freely and being flexible. The contact-making line runs on the plug-type contact to the induction heating coil, that is to say from two plug-type contacts to an induction heating coil as the electrical connection thereof.
Therefore, a plug-type contact device is provided at the bottom of the induction heating device or of the coil carrier as the mainly fixed and supporting constituent part thereof, the plug-type contact device at the same time allowing the plug-type contact-making connection and therefore an electrical connection to be established by attaching the induction heating device or the coil carrier to the induction hob. Tolerances, inaccuracies or the like can be compensated for owing to the floating mounting or owing to the ability of the plug-type contact device to move in a defined manner relative to the coil carrier with a lateral ability to move. Furthermore, attachment and mounting of the plug-type contact-making connection by hand during assembly of the induction hob can be made more reliable and simpler in this way.
In an advantageous refinement of the invention, precisely two induction heating coils are arranged on the coil carrier. The induction heating coils can be electrically connected to the same plug-type contact device which then has four plug-type contacts. The plug-type contacts are advantageously arranged in a square or rectangle in relation to one another, that is to say not in series. The two induction heating coils are particularly advantageously of identical size and/or identical design. It is possible for such an induction heating device to be configured in a substantially mirror-symmetrical manner, wherein the plug-type contact device lies on the mirror axis. Only the winding directions of the induction heating coils can form a deviation from this mirror-image symmetry.
The abovementioned flexible contact-making line of the plug-type contacts to an induction heating coil is advantageously a wire strand. The wire strand is particularly advantageously the same wire strand as that from which the induction heating coil is wound. Therefore, the abovementioned ability to move or flexibility of the wire strand is also provided. In an advantageous refinement of the invention, a contact-making line to a plug-type contact is a projecting section of the induction heating coil or a projecting section of the wire strand or winding of the induction heating coil, so that the contact-making line transitions from the plug-type contact into the induction heating coil continuously and without interruption.
A contact-making line is preferably fastened to an upper end region of the plug-type contact, but particularly preferably not at the very topmost end. Fastening can be performed by welding or soldering, so that fastening is mechanically stable and electrically safe.
In a refinement of the invention, the plug-type contacts can be plug pins. In another and preferred refinement of the invention, the plug-type contacts are plug sleeves which are in turn mounted onto plug pins. In this case, a diameter of the plug sleeves can lie in the range of between 2 mm and 8 mm in order to be mechanically stable and electrically safe.
In a further refinement of the invention, the plug-type contacts have an outside diameter which is smaller than the inside diameter of the receiving chambers at the respectively corresponding level. Therefore, an ability to move, which is restricted in a defined manner but is free, of the plug-type contacts is also possible in the receiving chambers. In particular, this is an ability to move in the direction transverse to the insertion direction. An ability to move in the form of slight tilting of the plug-type contacts is advantageously possible, so that plug-type contacts, with their longitudinal direction, can tilt a little, advantageously 1° to at most 5° or 10°, in relation to the insertion direction. Therefore, compensation of deviations in the orientation of the plug-type contacts or of plug sleeves and plug pins from the exact insertion direction or perpendicular direction in relation to the surface of the coil carrier is possible. The outside diameter of the plug-type contacts can be 1% to at most 20%, advantageously 3% to 8%, smaller than the inside diameter of the receiving chambers. The clear dimension or the size can therefore be correspondingly lower.
Movable mounting or an abovementioned floating mounting of the plug-type contact device on the coil carrier can be of latching design for example, with latching for a base plate of the plug-type contact device or its plug housing. Therefore, the plug-type contact device can be mounted or held on the coil carrier, advantageously by means of the base plate, in a captive manner but with the ability to move as defined according to the invention. Latching hooks or the like can be provided on several sides of the plug-type contact device or the base plate, advantageously on opposite sides. The latching hooks themselves or similar stops such as side walls can define the maximum ability of the plug housing or the base plate to move on the coil carrier. It can be provided that latching is possible manually, but a latching connection can be released only using a tool or at least a screwdriver.
Furthermore, it is possible that the plug housing is held on two opposite sides by overlapping sections, wherein the plug housing still has the said ability to move freely to lateral stops. Therefore, the plug housing, for example by way of the abovementioned base plate, can be pushed into a kind of pocket on the bottom face of the coil carrier.
A plug housing of the plug-type contact device is advantageously of two-part design. The plug housing can firstly have an abovementioned base plate which is fastened, in particular, to the coil carrier. The base plate should be sufficiently stable for this purpose. The plug-type contact device or the plug housing is mounted on the coil carrier by means of a plug-type contact device receptacle, for example the abovementioned latching hooks or overlapping sections. The plug-type contact device receptacle then defines the abovementioned maximum movement travel of the plug-type contact device or of the plug housing on the coil carrier.
The abovementioned base plate can preferably have a radial holder for the plug-type contacts, in particular in the form of a bore and/or a sleeve section which projects away from the base plate, advantageously in the insertion direction away from the coil carrier. This radial holder effects an abovementioned ability of the plug-type contacts to pivot or to tilt relative to the insertion direction. The radial holder should be somewhat larger than the outside dimension of the plug-type contact for the abovementioned ability to move or ability to pivot.
The plug-type contact device or the plug housing advantageously has a cover which is fastened to, advantageously mounted on, the base plate. Mounting can be performed by means of a latching connection which is automatically established during mounting and, for example, can be released again only using a tool. The cover serves substantially to hold the plug-type contacts on the plug housing or in abovementioned bores and/or sleeve sections on the base plate, that is to say in the receiving chambers. The cover can be fastened to the base plate or mounted on the base plate perpendicular to the surface of the coil carrier. The cover advantageously has one passage opening for each plug-type contact, the plug-type contacts projecting through or protruding through the passage opening and preferably projecting slightly beyond the cover at the bottom. The cover can be fastened to or mounted on the base plate in a fixed manner and in an unmovable position. When the abovementioned passage openings are likewise somewhat larger than the outside diameter of the plug-type contacts in this region, the advantageous ability of the plug-type contacts to pivot or to move relative to the insertion direction can be maintained.
It is possible for the receiving chambers of the plug-type contact devices in which the plug-type contacts are arranged to be formed by receiving sleeves which project away from the abovementioned base plate in the manner of a sleeve section. These sleeve sections form a portion of the lateral holder of the plug-type contacts in the form of receiving chambers. Limiting at the top is formed by the base plate itself, wherein here some of the plug-type contacts can project upward through abovementioned bores. The receiving chambers are bounded at the bottom by the abovementioned cover, wherein one passage opening for each receiving chamber is provided in the cover, the plug-type connection being established through the passage opening. The plug-type contact advantageously projects downwards through the passage opening.
In an advantageous refinement of the invention, the abovementioned contact-making lines run laterally out of the plug-type contact device from the plug-type contacts, preferably between the base plate and the cover. The contact-making lines particularly preferably run out of the abovementioned receiving sleeves which project from the base plate. These receiving sleeves have a lateral slot, so that the contact-making lines can run relatively close to the base plate. Furthermore, it is advantageously provided that the contact-making lines exit from the plug-type contact device in different directions, in particular in opposite directions. Therefore, it is advantageously possible for the plug-type contact device to be arranged between two induction coils, so that the contact-making lines to the induction heating coils are also of approximately identical length.
In order to hold the plug-type contacts securely in the receiving chambers, the plug-type contacts can have a thickened portion or a laterally projecting projection, which can be designed in the manner of a circumferential collar. This thickened portion or the projection is particularly advantageously wider than a passage opening through the cover in order to prevent the cover from slipping through the passage opening. Furthermore, the thickened portion or the projection can lie between the cover and the receiving sleeve on the base plate and limit a movement travel of the plug-type contact along the insertion direction. Therefore, the plug-type contact can be limited, for example, to the abovementioned ability to move or to pivot slightly.
In an advantageous refinement of the invention, the plug-type contact device is arranged close to an outer region or outer edge of the coil carrier. In this case, the plug-type contact device can further be located within the area or projection of the coil carrier and adjoin an outer edge. Therefore, easy optical monitoring is possible when the plug-type connection is being mounted or established.
In a further refinement of the invention, it is possible for a further plug-type connector to be provided on the plug-type contact device for a further plug-type contact-making connection, in particular on an outer face, which is freely accessible, because the coil carrier protrudes only slightly beyond the said plug-type contact device or does not project beyond the plug-type contact device at all. This further plug-type connection can advantageously be fastened by an assembly means which can be mounted and also released again without tools. A latching connection is suitable for this purpose, so that the plug-type contact device carries the further plug-type connector in a piggyback arrangement as it were. Both have the same insertion direction, so that both plug-type connections can be established with a single mounting process. Whereas the plug-type contact device according to the invention can be thought of as a power connection for the induction heating coil, a further plug-type connector can electrically connect, for example, sensor coils or other sensors.
The entire induction hob can have a generator housing beneath a hob plate, a generator component carrier, advantageously a so-called generator printed circuit, being located in the generator housing. Power components and possibly also a controller and also further components are arranged on the generator printed circuit and electrically connected. The induction heating device is arranged above the generator housing. A covering sheet or the like can run between the generator housing and induction heating device. In this case, the plug-type contact device points from the induction heating device at the top downward to the generator component carrier, this also indicating the insertion direction. At least two lower plug-type contacts are arranged on the generator component carrier in a fixed and unmovable manner, the plug-type contacts projecting upwards and the plug-type contact device being mounted on the plug-type contacts. The lower plug-type contacts can be arranged fixedly on the generator component carrier, for example can be pressed directly into the generator component carrier, and electrical contact can be made with the lower plug-type contacts.
In a refinement of the invention, it is possible for the plug-type contacts on the generator component carrier to be plug pins which project upwards, wherein the plug-type contacts of the plug-type contact device of the induction heating device are then abovementioned plug sleeves. The plug pins can be slotted and/or of variable diameter in the longitudinal direction for the purpose of matching the plug pins while at the same time making fixed and safe electrical contact-connection. The plug sleeves are then advantageously plug sleeves of which the diameter cannot be varied. Therefore, the plug sleeves are also easier to produce.
These and further features may be gathered from the claims and also from the description and the drawings, with the individual features being capable of being implemented in each case by themselves or severally in the form of subcombinations in an embodiment of the invention and in other fields and being capable of constituting advantageous and independently patentable versions for which protection is claimed here. The subdivision of the application into individual sections and intermediate headings does not restrict the general validity of the statements made under these.